County / In Brief

March 27, 2013

A former New York resident who had a brief stay on Maui was convicted Monday of making false statements in a matter involving international terrorism, according to the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York.

Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, 23, was found guilty following a weeklong jury trial.

According to court filings and evidence introduced at his trial, Shehadeh devised a plan to travel to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan in order to join al Qaeda or the Taliban.

Several weeks after being denied entry into Pakistan in June 2008, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army at a Manhattan recruiting station. In 2010, he confessed to FBI agents that he had sought to join a jihadist fighting group.

He had a brief stay on Maui in April 2009 before moving to Oahu, where he was arrested in October 2010, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

"Time and again, Shehadeh sought to travel overseas to wage violent jihad against U.S. military forces, going so far as to attempt to infiltrate the U.S. Army," said Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. "When confronted with his attempts to join a terrorist group and kill American soldiers, he repeatedly lied about his actions and his intentions. Due to the tireless work of our law enforcement partners, the defendant did not succeed in his jihadist goals."

Shehadeh faces a maximum of 21 years in prison when he is sentenced.

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Woman charged in boat theft attempt

A homeless woman was arrested Saturday when she tried to sail off with a pilot boat at Kahului Harbor, police said.

Rena Andrews, 33, was charged with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle.

At the request of the prosecution, her bail was increased to $5,000 when she appeared Monday in Wailuku District Court. She also was ordered to stay away from the harbor.

Andrews was arrested after harbor police saw her in the restricted area where the rigid-hull boat was anchored at about noon, police said.

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Vigil planned to mark day King died

Martin Luther King Jr. will be remembered at a candlelight vigil from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 4 at the Stone of Hope Monument fronting the Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku.

The vigil will mark the anniversary of the civil rights leader's assassination in 1968. There will be a short program to follow. The event is free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to bring lei to adorn the monument.

It is sponsored by Maui County, the African Americans on Maui Association, Nubian Pageant Systems and the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition - Hawaii (Maui).

For more information, contact Gwyn Gorg, vice president of the African Americans on Maui Association, at 878-8434.